Dispenser nozzle cover

ABSTRACT

A hygienic nozzle cover for an automatic or receptacle actuated dispensing device, said cover being moveable from a first position extending over and hygienically sealing the beverage nozzle opening to form a closure thereover to a second position to allow for the dispensing of the beverage. The device is especially adaptable to present automatic, manual or receptacle actuated beverage dispensers. The closure body of the cover is shaped to form a seal over the nozzle opening and is connected to a linkage arm in mechanical communication with an actuating mechanism such as a solenoid. The nozzle cover is utilized in conventional beverage dispensers in which a receptacle is depressed against a lever arm to actuate the dispenser valve, thus causing fluid to flow into the receptacle. The device is especially useful to prevent germs and insects from being allowed to enter into the nozzle chamber whenever the device is not actually dispensing a beverage.

United States Patent 11 1 Goldsmith [4 1 Nov. 11, 1975 1 1 DISPENSER NOZZLE COVER Harry Goldsmith, 5140 N. 36th Court, Hollywood, Fla. 33021 22 Filed: Apr. 30, 1974 21 Appl. No.: 465,692

[76] Inventor:

6/1973 Aperlo 141/362 Primary Examiner-Stanley H. Tollberg Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Malin & Haley [57] ABSTRACT A hygienic nozzle cover for an automatic or receptacle actuated dispensing device, said cover being moveable from a first position extending over and hygienically sealing the beverage nozzle opening to form a closure thereover to a second position to allow for the dispensing of the beverage. The device is especially adaptable to present automatic, manual or receptacle actuated beverage dispensers. The closure body of the cover is shaped to form a seal over the nozzle opening and is connected to a linkage arm in mechanical communication with an actuating mechanism such as a solenoid. The nozzle cover is utilized in conventional beverage dispensers in which a receptacle is depressed against a lever arm to actuate the dispenser valve, thus causing fluid to flow into the receptacle. The device is especially useful to prevent germs and insects from being allowed to enter into the nozzle chamber whenever the device is not actually dispensing a beverage.

wdfch US. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 1 of2 U.S. Patent Nov. 11, 1975 Sheet 2 of 2 DISPENSER NOZZLE COVER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to a nozzle cover for hygienic purposeswhich is disposed moveably overthe' lowed to form or enter about the nozzle opening, which could result from normal contact with a beverage about the nozzle.

In the past, many state and federal regulations have been passed regarding the dispensing of beveragesto insure that certain standards of hygienic and sanitary criteria are maintained. However, beverage nozzles, as found in coventional beverage dispensers,'either of the receptacle actuated type or the hand gun type have neglected to hygienically protect the nozzle opening itself, which oftentimes becomes coated with various beverages through direct contact or as the beverage is ejected from the nozzle, thus leaving a large nozzle opening cavity coated with the beverage allowing insects or germs in the air to collect thereon, thus making the beverage dispenser unsanitary. Applicants invention, which is adaptable to conventional beverage dispensers, eliminates this probleni by providing a sealable nozzle closurewhich is actuated in conjunction with the dispensing valve mechanism to allow the nozzle to be in the closed and covered position hygienically when not in use but which provides movement of the cover away from the nozzle opening when a beverage receptacle is being filled to allow the closure to be removed from the path of the beverage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION A closure for sealably covering a beverage dispenser nozzle for improved hygienic and sanitary standards, the closure including a body portion shaped to and adapted for sealably covering the nozzle opening, a linkage arm connecting said closure body to a linkage actuating device whereby the closure is moveable from a first position adjacent and in contact with thenozzle opening to a second position'away from said nozzle opening whenever a beverage is being dispensed. The closure may be moveable either mechanically or elec- -tro-mechanically in a radial or planar motion. Applicants invention is adapted to be used in a conventional receptacle-actuated, beverage dispenser, a gun-type trigger actuated beverage dispenser, a gravity fed or other type of conventional beverage dispenser in which the actuation of the dispenser is either done manually or by an automatic means. Applicants invention is especially adapted to be utilized and affixed to a conventional beverage dispenser lever arm actuated by the beverage receptacle.

It is an object of this invention to provide a covering or closure for a beverage dispenser nozzle.

It is another object of this invention to provide a nozzle cover for use with a beverage dispenser which is moveably disposed into and out of engagement with the nozzle opening whenever the beverage dispensing mechanism is actuated to dispense a beverage.

' In accordance with these and other objects which will be apparent hereinafter, the instant invention will now be described with particular reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows Applicants invention connected to a standard receptacle actuated. beverage dispenser in a side elevational view.

FIG. 2 shows a fragmentary, side elevational view of Applicants dispenser closure in a closed position adjacent the dispensing nozzle and the receptacle actuated dispensing mechanism.

FIG. 3 shows a fragmentary, side elevational view of Applicantss invention during the dispensing operation.

FIG. 4 shows Applicants invention from a bottom plan view in a closed position adjacent a nozzle connected to an actuating mechanism.

FIG. 5 shows Applicantss invention in a perspective view having an alternate embodiment which includes a sealing means.

FIG. 6 shows aside elevational view of an alternate embodiment of Applicants invention.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Referring now tothe drawings and especially FIG. 1, a conventional beverage dispensing device 10 is shown having a nozzle portion 12 and a lever arm 14 which is manually depressed by contact with a beverage receptacle which permits the beverage to flow out of the nozzle 12 from the conventional dispenser 10 in a wellknown manner. However, with Applicants invention, when the lever arm 14 is depressed by placing a beverage receptacle against it, an actuating switch which provides for the dispensing of the beverage also actuates a solenoid 20 which is connected electrically to the actuating valve switch by .a circuit 26 which causes a nozzle closure 16 to be moved horizontally away from the nozzle 12 opening.

FIG. 2 shows the device in an unactuated position with the nozzle 12 being completely covered across its opening by the closure and support 16. The lever arm 14 which is connected to the dispensing valve is conventional and is well known in the art.

Figure 3 shows Applicants device in the actuated position with the dispenser having a beverage being expelled from nozzle 12 into a standard receptacle 18. When the beverage receptacle 18 is depressed against the lever arm 14, a switch 22 connected to the dispensing valve (not shown) is actuated which activates solenoid 20 through circuit 26 causing the closure body 16A integrally connected to a supporting arm 168 to move horizontally away from the opening nozzle 12. This allows the beverage to flow freely into the receptacle 18 whenever the lever arm 14 is in the actuating position to dispense the beverage. When the beverage container is filled to the desired level and the receptacle 18 is disengaged from arm 14, thus allowing the arm 14 to return to its off position, switch 22 then electrically signals the solenoid which returns the closure cover 16A into contact and over the nozzle opening, as shown in FIG. 2. The solenoid may be mounted in the dispenser housing or in any appropriate place adjacent the dispensing equipement.

Figure 4 shows the support arm 16B, which is connected at one end to the solenoid 20, having curved portions along its longitudinal axis to allow the support arm 168 to be moved without contacting the lever arm 14. The support arm 16B and the nozzle closure 16A may be made integrally so that they constitute a single unit.

Figure 5 shows an alternate embodiment of the nozzle closure 16A having a flexible sealing ring 24 of rubber or the like which contacts and seals the nozzle opening to prevent atmospheric communication from the inside of the nonle to the exterior.

Although the support arm in the preferred embodiment has been shown as curved along its length, the arm connected to the solenoid armature may be positioned as desired by the user with the intention to insure that the closure cover support arm does not interfere in any way with the actuation of the conventional lever arm which initiates the dispenser valve to allow for the liquid or beverage to be expelled from the dispenser nozzle. Likewise, the device may also be utilized in a gun-type beverage dispenser using the same principles as shown in Applicants invention.

The solenoid, the armature of which is moveable reciprocally and is connected to the nozzle cover and the nozzle cover supporting arm may be a conventional solenoid which is moveable and actuated in each direction or may be a single directional solenoid in which the armature or the nozzle cover and support arm are spring loaded to a closed position, covering the nozzle. When the liquid dispensing valve is actuated, the current will flow in the solenoid causing the armature to pull against the spring tension, opening the nozzle and holding it in an open position while the beverage is being dispensed. Once the liquid dispensing valve is shut off, then the switch deenergizes the solenoid and the spring tension will return the solenoid armature and the nozzle cover to its original position covering the dispensing nozzle.

FIG. 6 shows an alternate embodiment of Applicants invention utilizing a manual means to provide movement of the nozzle cover 30 (shown in the closed position) over the the opening of nozzle 28 and having an obliquely disposed support arm 32 connected rigidly to the circular nozzle cover 30 at one end and through a moveable hinge 34 to the dispenser actuating lever arm 38 by a connector 36 which is fixed to the free end of the dispenser actuating arm 38. Also connected between the nozzle cover support arm 32 and the dispenser lever actuating arm 38 is a spring 40 which resiliently holds the nozzle cover 30 in a closed position over the opening of nozzle 28. To actuate the dispensing device with Applicants invention, in order to allow for the dispensing of a beverage, a beverage container will contact the nozzle cover support arm 32 forcing it against the spring action 40 to move in a hinge-like movement toward the beverage actuating arm 38. This will remove the nozzle cover 30 to a position away from the nozzle opening of nozzle 28 to allow the beverage to be dispensed while the beverage container pushes both the support arm 32 and the beverage dispensing actuating arm 38 which both move, thus actuating the dispenser valve only when the nozzle cover 30 has been pushed out of position away from the nozzle opening.

Although the mechanical embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, is shown attached at the free end of the dispensing actuating lever arm 38, the particular point of location could be modified so that the nozzle cover 30 is re siliently connected to the dispensing actuating lever arm 38 in such a manner that the nozzle cover must first be removed by actuation in contacting the beverage container prior to movement of the lever arm.

The closure body may be removeable or exchangeable for cleaning and replacement purposes, or may have a removeable surface attached thereto which is exchangeable. This allows for hygienic maintenance of the nozzle cover.

The instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment. It is recognized, however, that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention and that obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What I claim is:

l. A beverage dispensing device comprising:

beverage dispensing means;

beverage valve actuating means connected to said beverage dispensing means;

beverage nozzle connected to said beverage dispensing means;

a lever arm connected to said valve dispensing means; nozzle cover;

linkage arm connected to said nozzle cover;

solenoid connected to said linkage arm and moveable from a first position to a second position;

means connecting said solenoid to said valve actuating means;

switching means connected to said solenoid circuit means whereby said lever actuating means signals said solenoid to move said linkage arm from a first position in which said nozzle cover is in contact and covering said nozzle opening to a second position away from and out of contact from said nozzle opening.

2. A nozzle cover for use in a fluid dispensing device, said device having a lever actuating arm which is initiated by receptacle contact, said nozzle cover comprismg:

a body portion adapted to provide a closure about a nozzle opening;

a support arm means connected to said body portion;

means connected to said supporting arm for connecting said supporting arm to said dispensing actuating lever arm; and

a resilient means disposed between said supporting arm and said dispenser actuating lever arm whereby said body portion is disposed in a first positon adjacent and covering said noule opening and moveable to a second position away from and out of contact with said nozzle opening. 

1. A beverage dispensing device comprising: beverage dispensing means; beverage valve actuating means connected to said beverage dispensing means; beverage nozzle connected to said beverage dispensing means; a lever arm connected to said valve dispensing means; nozzle cover; linkage arm connected to said nozzle cover; solenoid connected to said linkage arm and moveable from a first position to a second position; means connecting said solenoid to said valve actuating means; switching means connected to said solenoid circuit means whereby said lever actuating means signals said solenoid to move said linkage arm from a first position in which said nozzle cover is in contact and covering said nozzle opening to a second position away from and out of contact from said nozzle opening.
 2. A nozzle cover for use in a fluid dispensing device, said device having a lever actuating arm which is initiated by receptacle contact, said nozzle cover comprising: a body portion adapted to provide a closure about a nozzle opening; a support arm means connected to said body portion; means connected to said supporting arm for connecting said supporting arm to said dispensing actuating lever arm; and a resilient means disposed between said supporting arm and said dispenser actuating lever arm whereby said body portion is disposed in a first positon adjacent and covering said nozzle opening and moveable to a second position away from and out of contact with said nozzle opening. 